Mango

Even if you're not yet ready to retire, San Miguel de Allende is perfect for a vacation or long weekend getaway. Getting there United and American airlines offer connecting flights (via Texas) to San Miguel's two closest airports, Leon/Guanajuato (BJX), 90 minutes away, and Queretaro (QRO), one hour away. Round-trip airfares start around $600. Multiple airlines offer flights to Mexico City, which is three hours from San Miguel. When to go January may be the sole inclement month to travel, and even then it's nothing compared to a typical Baltimore winter.

It seems most appropriate that on Valentine's Day 2013, Mango Grove and Mirchi Wok will celebrate a year of peace and love between a pair of culinary “isms” -- vegetarianism and carnivorism. On this date in 2012, chef/owner Rohit Chawla and staff opened their doors to Indian food aficionados who previously had to choose one or the other “ism” if they wanted to dine on Chawla's creative recipes. Although Mango Grove and Mirchi Wok were in the same building, they had separate dining rooms and separate kitchens.

A decade ago, if you talked about a mango the average guy on the street wouldn't know whether you were talking about a tropical fruit or the latest dance craze from South America.But today, mango mania has hit mainstream America. We have eaten them on vacation -- mangoes with sticky rice in Thailand, mango chutney in India, mango daiquiris in the Caribbean. We have read about them in upscale food magazines -- where trendy chefs have used mangoes with everything from steak to ice cream. And we have seen them at the corner supermarket next to the oranges and lemons.

With many bars around town featuring vast stretches -- libraries, it would seem -- of flavored vodkas like whipped cream birthday cake flavor this, cinnamon whiskey that, less sophisticated boozes are dominating the scenery. Therefore it's good to note every so often that a bar, no matter the size, can create excellent cocktails if the selection of liquor is of a higher caliber. Howard's of Mount Vernon fits the bill. Having opened a small bar about a year and a half ago amidst a huge amount of space and an outdoor patio, Howard's might seem ill equipped to sling some delicious drinks without a dedicated mixologist on staff or a bevvy of random artisanal ingredients.

From our first taste of sweet, soft mussels, garlicky and sprinkled with chopped tomato, onion and cilantro, we knew we were in good hands at Mango's Grill. The small restaurant, with its overly bright plastic tablecloths and piles of what looks like folded laundry by the front door, doesn't give a great first impression. But it is a diamond in the rough. -- Poor:]

This is a convenient meal with exotic flavors that can be thrown together in a few minutes and many of the ingredients come right from the pantry. Mango is the star here and this luscious fruit is available in the produce department of most supermarkets. If jarred mango spears are carried in the refrigerated section of your market, you will find them especially convenient. They are not as expensive as they appear because the jar is equivalent to 6 to 8 fresh mangoes (the jarred mango does contain a light sugar syrup)

Mangoes, sometimes called "apples of the South" because they thrive in tropical regions, have a tempting flavor and an appetizing floral aroma. They're delicious in a Florida mango cobbler.When shopping for mangoes, choose fruit with a distinct aroma and a deep, orange-red color. It should be soft but not mushy to the touch. When ripe, mangoes yield to gentle pressure, similar to a peach.Florida mango cobblerServes 8FILLING:2 cups fresh mango chunks1/4 cup sugar, more or less, depending on sweetness of the fruit2 tablespoons cornstarch2 tablespoons lemon juiceDOUGH:3/4 cup whole-wheat flour1/4 cup all-purpose flour1/4 teaspoon salt1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder4 tablespoons sugar3 tablespoons rice bran oil or canola oil1/2 cup buttermilk1 tablespoon sugar mixed with 1/2 teaspoon cardamomHeat oven to 400. Coat a 9-by-9-inch baking pan or an oval cobbler dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Another management shake-up is in the works at Laurel/Pimlico race courses.Because of the rapid expansion in the technological side of the business, Jim Mango, senior vice president and general manager at the tracks, could assume a full-time role as senior vice president of development and mutuels.If that occurs then a new senior vice president and general manager likely would be hired. So far the name being mentioned for that job is John Mooney, general manager at Delaware Park.Laurel/Pimlico operator Joe De Francis declined to comment yesterday.

Pimlico/Laurel operator Joe De Francis defended track executive Jim Mango yesterday, saying that even though his senior vice president of mutuels and development gambled extensively, "he is not addicted to gambling. It never interfered with his work. And the decision to amend an employment contract we have with him was made mutually."De Francis referred to a recently added clause in Mango's contract that says that he could be fired if he continues to gamble.Mango agreed to stop gambling on July 1, according to a report in Saturday's Washington Post detailing Mango's gambling habits.

Right now mango supplies are excellent and prices vary.You can find mangoes as cheap as 69 cents with supermarket specials or as expensive as $1.89 in Asian specialty stores. Typically, expect to pay about $1.39 per mango.Mangoes are versatile. They can be used in almost any recipe in which you would normally use peaches. For a free booklet of mango recipes and tips, write: Chiquita Tropical Products North America, Diversified Marketing, 250 E. Fifth St., Suite 1200, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202.

After 15 years, Mango Grove shut its original Columbia location last August and reopened nearby on Valentine's Day. That's only six months — a quick turnaround in restaurant time — but it must have felt like much longer for fans of Mango Grove's terrific Indian cuisine. Vegetarians must have been especially desolate. For them, Mango Grove was a serene retreat, with an atmosphere just fancy enough to qualify as a date night. Just think: six months without those well-tempered vegetable curries and all that time without a single dosai.

Mango Grove will open its new Columbia location on Stanford Road on Valentine's Day. The news of the opening was posted late, late Sunday night on the restaurant's Facebook page. The keeper of the How Chow blog, who has been assiduously following the journey of Mango Grove to its new location, posted the news early Monday morning. Mango Grove is calling this a soft-opening, with a limited menu. A vegetarian mainstay in Columbia known best for its dhosa , a kind of Indian crepe, Mango Grove closed its original location in  August 2011 after 15 years to make way for new development.

The How Chow blogger has been busy, busy, busy. The source of all good information about Howard County dining walked right up to the front door of the forthcoming Mango Grove and asked the owner what's what. The How Chow blogger snapped a shot of the constructiion and learend that the owners are hoping to have the restaurant open by Christmas. Read about it here . Mango Grove and its sister restaurant Mirchi Wok are being re-built at 8865 Stanford Blvd., just a few minutes from the restaurants' original Columbia location.

Mango Grove has announced that its new location will be on Stanford Road. Mango Grove and its sister restaurant Mirchi Wok will be re-built at 8865 Stanford Blvd., just a few minutes from the restaurants' original Columbia location. The announcement was made on Mango Grove's Facebook page . Mango Grove, a vegetarian mainstay in Columbia, known best for its dhosa, a kind of Indian crepe, closed in late August after 15 years to make way for new development. It was not immediately clear when the new restaurants(s)

Tutti Frutti 6250 Columbia Crossing Circle 443-546-4602, tfyogurt.net Open daily 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Don't Miss: Pomegranate, green tea and red velvet are just some of the flavors at this self-serve frozen yogurt shop. Choose one or a combination. Top it off with strawberries, mango, kiwi and lychees or granola, M&Ms and Heath Bar. Pay by the ounce, not by the topping, so go crazy.

The HowChow blog posted the alarming news that the days of Mango Grove, and its sister restaurant Mirchi Wok, may be numbered. The Howard Cuonty Department of Planning and Zoning has approved a developer's plans to

Make the most of grill season with a speedy and simple seared fish fillet crowned with a refreshing salsa. The star of the salsa is a mango, which is combined with other seasonal fresh vegetables that set off the aromatic fruit.Mangoes have become more readily available in area grocery stores in the last few years. Watch for more reasonable prices now that it's high season, which runs from May to September. Mangoes have been advertised as low as 2 for $1.Mangoes have so much vibrant flavor they need little adornment.

In the Ayurvedic tradition, illness should be treated with food first and medication as a last resort. Or says the menu at Mango Grove, a South Indian restaurant in Dobbin Center in Columbia, which strives to offer a healthful selection of food in the Ayurvedic tradition. The all-vegetarian restaurant offers a lunch buffet six days a week that includes soup, salad, appetizers, bread, rice curries and dessert. The menu varies from day to day, said Ronnie Mathews, one of four owners and the chef.

What an odd name, my husband said when I told him we were going to Mr. Rain's Fun House for dinner. I imagine that's going to be a lot of people's reaction until they realize it's in the delightfully strange American Visionary Art Museum. Remember when we thought its predecessor, Joy America, had an odd name? After a while, it started to sound entirely normal. Not to worry. The carnival aspects at Mr. Rain's Fun House turn out to be simply a few flourishes. The distorting fun-house mirrors were already in place near the bathrooms, and the new tenants have added a piece of carousel art in the dining room, peacock feathers for decoration on each table and some sparkly animal head sculptures on one wall.